Mallorca 312 and Sa Calobra 2026

For next year, I’ve bit the bullet and committed to a long iconic ride and then the ‘perfectly engineered’ ride on the Mediterranean island of Mallorca. The long ride is the often talked-about event on closed roads where 8,500 cyclists do a lap of the island, and the specially designed ride is Sa Calobra. Add some friends, British Airways and a bike box; it sounds fun.

Background and Goals

Hopefully, this will be a trip to test some tech. More likely, it will be a test for my legs to see if they can still handle 200 miles in a day. I did manage that feat last year with Chase The Sun, however, the Spanish ride involves significantly more vertical metres. It will likely be hotter as well, although my Chase the Sun Ride was also very hot. On the positive side, the roads will be smoother, and there will be a greater chance to make progress more easily on closed roads with a drafting effect. Not that I’m doing it for the time (I’m already planning which round of drinks I’ll be buying in the evening).

Also, I hope to get to the bottom of aspects of Spanish pronunciation. I’ve never been sure if Mallorca is the same as Menorca or Majorca. If I land on the wrong island, I’ll guess that’ll address the gaps in my knowledge in a memorable way. I could Google it, I suppose.

Practical Notes

This is one of those events where the organisers sell many tickets to package holiday companies. You might find it hard to get a ticket directly from the event organisers, and even if you do, there is no guarantee the rest of your group will. You’ll have to pay for a package, which does make the organisation a bit easier. Consider getting there a few days early, as airlines aren’t exactly renowned for getting bikes to the right places on time, and many bikes will arrive in Mallorca that week.

More: Event organiser site

More: Mallorca 312 routes, elevation and GPX ride details, 

Sa Calobra is a small village in the Escorca municipality on the northwest coast of the Spanish Balearic island of Mallorca.

The port village is a popular destination for coach trips and road cyclists. It is accessed by a single winding road, designed by Italian-Spanish engineer Antonio Parietti and opened in 1933, which features many hairpin bends and a 270° spiral bridge called the tie knot.

The climb is officially called the Coll del Reis or the Coll de Cal Reis, the pass on 682 metres (2,238 ft) altitude, though it is often referred to by the name of the village at its base and was built and is considered to be “as close as one could get to a perfect road for motorsport”. Unconventionally the road was engineered with tourists in mind. [Wikipedia]